Judy’s family develops the practice of putting money aside in a “family stash jar” for unexpected expenses or fun family vacations. She soon discovers, though, that one of the family members is helping themselves to the money with sticky fingers. Judy needs to identify the person and determine the cause of their extreme dishonesty.
For most families, I’m sure it’s the same. But honesty is the cornerstone of everything in our family. I’ve always had complete faith in my spouse, Ethan, my 24-year-old son Josh, and my 17-year-old daughter Emma. Therefore, it was like a kick to the stomach when money began to evaporate from our family’s cache. Before, we’d kept a communal jar of cash for unforeseen expenses or emergencies, but recently, significant amounts of money have begun disappearing.
When I realized that the jar looked a little different from when I had recently placed some money in, I said to myself, “I must be losing my mind,” aloud. I initially believed it to be a straightforward calculation error. But I was unable to ignore it any longer as the missing amounts increased—from $50 here, $100 there, and then $300 all at once. “Who has sticky hands?” The kitchen was empty when I asked. The doubt and distrust that began to seep into my mind itched. I detested having these feelings toward my family.
When my best friend Misha and I got together for cheesecake and wine, she questioned, “Are you sure that it’s someone from the house?”
“It must be,” I murmured. “The gardener comes, but he only works outside. We don’t have an assistant. It is unlikely that he has ever seen the interior of the house. It must be family if someone is stealing from the jar.” Misha gave a nod. “Therefore, you ought to install a covert camera. As near the jar as you can, she instructed. That’s precisely what I did. I installed a hidden camera in the living room, which is where we kept the stash, even though it was an uncomfortable step.
I discovered another $300 missing two days after I set the camera! I said, “Seriously, Misha.” It simply vanished. disappeared. vanished. However, a few of Emma’s hairpins remained by the jar. I really hope my daughter isn’t a thief and that it was just a coincidence.” She questioned over the phone, “Did you install the camera like we spoke about?”
Yes, I replied. “I’m waiting for my laptop to load while I sit here. I will investigate this thoroughly.” When the video finally loaded, I was astounded by what I saw. Thankfully, that wasn’t one of my kids. Not even my spouse, Ethan. Nope. Lily, Josh’s spouse, surreptitiously entered our living room, took the money, and to my complete surprise, tucked a few of Emma’s hairpins next to the jar.
“What on earth is this?” Gazing at Lily’s image on my screen, I let out an exclamation. To tell the truth, I wasn’t sure that I liked Lily at first. After just a short term of dating, Josh was certain she was the love of his life. He said to me, “I will marry her, Mom,” after requesting my mother’s ring. “But it’s so soon,” I answered, reluctant to give up the ring but also not wanting my son to get married so soon. “It is,” he concurred. “However, I’ve never desired more. Lily experiences the same thing.” Ultimately, we decided that it was preferable to have misgivings about my new daughter-in-law while still keeping my son close, so we consented to their small backyard wedding.
I made the decision to speak with my spouse that evening. He had to know what was happening.
“Ethan, are you busy?” I asked as I passed him in front of the TV. He turned to face me right away and said, “Honey, what’s wrong?” “I found out who’s been taking the money,” I said. “I have proof if you need it.”
“Who?” he inquired bluntly. I was aware that he was attempting to determine which of our children was responsible. “Lily.”
“Lily?” he blurted out. “How could she?”
“I don’t know, and I don’t know why she felt the need to do it,” I replied. “However, we must approach the matter cautiously. I’ve moved the jar into my closet for the time being and I won’t say anything more. I don’t want to exacerbate the situation just before her birthday. Josh has spent a great deal of time organizing it.”
Ethan gave a nod. “All right,” he replied. “I recognize that. She can’t get away with it, though.”
The days that followed were tense. Betrayal ached my heart every time I saw Lily. We weren’t against their marriage, even if we weren’t sure we wanted them married. Over dinner, she conversed and shared jokes with us as though she hadn’t been robbing us all along. Even so, I assisted my son in organizing the last-minute elements of Lily’s birthday celebration.
One day, I told Josh about the missing money, but I didn’t tell him who the real culprit was. “Josh, do you think that there’s any chance Emma could be involved?” As we washed the dinner dishes together, I gently asked.
Josh shook his head and scowled. “Em? No way, mother. She works a part-time job and is putting money down for education. She refused to pilfer from us. She may ask us whether she was truly short on money.”
I was relieved that he shared my faith in his sister and nodded. “You’re accurate. Simply put, money keeps vanishing. Furthermore, I don’t get it. I’m not sure who else it might be.”
Josh let out a long sigh. “Mom, I’m not sure either,” he added. “But I’ll keep an eye out.”
Lily’s birthday was two weeks later, and we had a big outdoor celebration planned for our backyard. “Mom, this is incredible,” Josh exclaimed as he took in the setting. “This will be a hit with Lily. And the cuisine! All of her favorites were in your order.”
I gave Josh a smile. He put a lot of effort into producing this unique gift for his wife. I owed him nothing less than to be there for him at all times and to assist him when he needed it. Lily said, “Thank you, Judy,” right before we all took a seat to dine. “I can tell that you had a big part to play in this entire thing!”
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